Beijing, 1 a.m. Lin Wanqiu works days applying makeup to the dead. She's been at the funeral home for five years, and her hands are steadier than a surgeon's. Every stroke of foundation and every line of eyeliner gives those who have passed on one last dignified face. She thought she already understood death well enough.
Then, one day after work, a dark blue business card drifted to her feet. No phone number, no address, just two silver-foil characters: “Take Them Home.” She tried to throw it away, but it stuck to her shoe and wouldn't come off. She scanned the code. The app asked only one question: “Would you be willing to drive someone on the final leg of their journey?” -- A sister story set in the same world as "Midnight Meals: Food Delivery Horror Stories"
From that day on, she became a late-night designated driver.
With every fare, she gets into a stranger's car, grips someone else's steering wheel, and takes someone else's route. Some clients talk, some don't. Some clients' faces look a shade darker in the rearview mirror than they do to the naked eye. Some clients disappear for good after getting out.
The driving service is called “Take Them Home.” She brings people home for a living.
